We are ticketing holiday events galore this month and I’ve been trying to suggest events that offer something a little bit different than the usual fare. We know you’ve seen “It’s A Wonderful Life” a thousand times, so how about mixing it up a little bit? Well, our friends at New Beverly Cinema and the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, The Castro Theatre in San Francisco, The Royale in Mesa, Arizona and the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York got you covered. We’re talking serial killer Santas, Santa abducted by aliens, tormented sorority girls on Christmas break, vintage holiday curios from Johnny Legend, beer-pong with John McClane and the Griswolds and holiday-themed film noir.

Tomorrow, is the Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco. What is a Scary Cow Film Festival you ask? Well, it’s not a festival dedicated to horror films with bovine killers, although that does sound interesting. No, Scary Cow is a film co-op out of the Bay Area that helps aspiring film-makers produce their films. The members run Scary Cow and all revenue that Scary Cow receives goes back to the members in the form of screenings, budgets, classes and more. Since 2007, they’ve made over 150 films and have given out over $130,000 to their members.

Scary Cow has no restrictions on what kinds of films can be made, so a film-maker could, in theory, make a cow-slasher flick if he or she wanted. The film-makers own all the rights to their film, so if by some odd chance their low-budget, indie film takes off and becomes the next Blair Witch Project, then they keep all the profits. But even if their film goes nowhere, Scary Cow offers a valuable service by allowing aspiring film-makers to actually get out there and make it happen; to actually learn by doing. It’s a great way for aspiring film-makers to hone their craft and build their resumes while working and networking with other Bay Area film-makers. Read More…